Nearly 17,000 Filipino and American military personnel are today starting their annual joint exercise, Balikatan, which will be held for the first time conducted outside the territorial waters of the Philippines, reported Reuters, quoted by BTA.
The exercises will run from April 22 to May 10 and will involve 16,700 military personnel from the Philippine and US armies. Representatives of the armies of France and Australia, which have strengthened their defense ties with the Philippines due to China's aggressive behavior in the region, will also participate, Reuters commented.
Military personnel will practice seizing enemy-occupied islands in the northernmost part of the Philippine archipelago, near Taiwan, as well as in the western province of Palawan, which faces the South China Sea.
Beijing claims most of the South China Sea, through which more than $3 trillion worth of goods are transported annually.
"While we remain vigilant in the face of regional challenges, the exercises are not specifically linked to the actions of any specific country,", a Philippine military spokesman said yesterday.
China has criticized the joint exercises, saying they heighten tensions and undermine regional stability.